Melt-In-Your-Mouth Birria Tacos

Nothing beats homemade. It can be a process to make this melt-in-your-mouth birria taco by Tasty, but once you taste it, you will be blown away! The meat is perfectly cooked, and the flavors are phenomenal. You will never regret making this at home.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of kosher salt plus 1 tablespoon
• 2 lb of chuck roast (cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 lb bone-in beef short ribs
• 5 dried ancho chiles
• 5 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried morita chiles
• warm water (for soaking)
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorn
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 2 whole cloves
• 6 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano
• 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon of canola oil (plus more if needed)
• 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
• 4 roma tomatoes (quartered)
• 8 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 8 cups of water
• 1 package of frozen banana leaves (thawed)

For the tacos:

• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 lb of shredded queso oaxaca
• red onion (pickled)
• radish (sliced)
• fresh cilantro (chopped)
• lime wedge

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Instructions

Step 1:

Arrange chuck roast and short ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with 1/4 cup of salt, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2:

In a medium heatproof bowl, add ancho, guajillo, and morita chiles. Cover with warm water and let them soak for about 5 minutes. Remove seeds and stems, then set them aside.

Step 3:

Place a medium skillet over medium heat, add cinnamon stick, coriander, black pepper, allspice, and cloves. Toast until fragrant for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a high-powered blender with bay leaves, and oregano. Grind into a fine powder.

Step 4:

Preheat your oven to 300F, then get the seasoned meat from the refrigerator and pat dry using paper towels.

Step 5:

Heat 1/4 cup of canola oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Sear the seasoned meat until golden brown on all sides. Work in batches, do not overcrowd the pot. Set aside when done. If the oil is dark and burnt, discard and add 1/4 cup of new canola oil and turn heat to medium-high heat.

Step 6:

Add yellow onion, tomatoes, and a tablespoon of salt to the pot and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant for about 3 minutes. Next, add ground spices and cook for 2 minutes more.

Step 7:

Add apple cider vinegar, water, seared meat, and child to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover it. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

Step 8:

Remove the chiles from the stew and transfer to a blender with 2 cups of the broth. Blend until smooth, then put back into the pot. Stir everything to combine. Cover the stew with banana leaves, then place the lid. Transfer to the oven and continue to cook for about 90 minutes until the meats easily pull away.

Step 9:

Remove from the oven and discard the banana leaves. Next, remove the meat from the pot, place it in a bowl, and shred it. Reserve the broth(consome).

Step 10:

Make the tacos. Heat the remaining canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the broth, then place in the hot oil. Add 2 tablespoons of queso Oaxaca to half of the tortilla followed by 1/4 cup of shredded beef to the other half.  Fold it and continue cooking until golden brown and crispy for a minute.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Birria Tacos